Game apparatus



' Nov. 17, 1953 w. J. ALILBEE- GAME APPARATUS Filed y 5, 195

Patented Nov. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAME APPARATUS Wilder Jerome Albee, Tampa, Fla.

Application May 5, 1950, Serial No. 160,305

2 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to games and has for its purpose the provision of a novel game apparatus for children that will teach or familiarize them with geometric shapes or other designs as well as with color or shades of color and still have the lure of the exciting competition of a contest.

The purpose or object of the present invention is carried out by two or more identical gameboards having a plurality of recesses arranged in their playing surfaces and each of a different shape or design and into which recesses correspondingly shaped and sized playing-pieces are to be fitted, the contestant first to fill all the recesses winning the game, and the contest being stimulated by the provision of a multiplicity of such playing pieces (preferably in a pile or group) sufiicient of which being dimensioned to properly fit into said recesses so that there is one such properly sized playing-piece for each recess in said boards among other playing-pieces improperly sized that will not fit into their correspondingly shaped recesses.

Among the objects of the present invention is a provision of simple game apparatus, as above defined, that can be very inexpensively manufactured and sold, and having the qualities of stimulating educational information to children as well as quickness of mental reactions coupled with the stimulus of a game contest.

As one preferred example by which the game of the present invention may be carried into practice. reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the game apparatus;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure l with part broken away in section to illustrate detail;

Figure 3 shows a group of playing blocks or pieces corresponding in shape to recesses formed in each game board;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view taken through a portion of a game board showing one playing piece fittedly disposed into a re cess in said board; and

Figures 5 and 6 are views similar to Figure 4 showing additional playing pieces of the same design and shape but dimensioned so as they will not fit or be insertable into the correspondingly shaped recesses of the game board.

As shown, particularly in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, the invention may be carried-out by the provision of an oblong shallow box-like member It having a game-board H disposed in each end portion thereof with the intermediate or central portion [2 of the box [0 forming a clear area in which may be disposed playing pieces P. The box member It, preferably, has associated with it a removable top or lid (not shown) so that the game apparatus may be manufactured and sold as one package with the playing boards II and the playing-pieces retained therein, the box portion It forming a tray, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, for the boards ii and for the playing-pieces while the game is being played. The box may be of any preferred type. The game boards Il may be attached to the box or may be separate from the box and of any suitable material that can be removed from the box and more than two of such game boards may be provided in the box. Thus, if more than two contestants are to play the game, sufficient game boards will be provided that may be removed from the box and conveniently placed around a table or the like.

Each game board of a set is made, preferably, identical with the others and is suitably provided on its playing surface with a multiplicity of depressions or recesses E3 of different shapes or designs; that is to say that the walls or edges defining the recesses produce the design or shape of the recesses l3. For the purpose of illustration, each game board I 1, shown in the drawings, is provided with fifteen recesses of different geometric shapes, but, of course, as will be understood, the number of these recesses and their design or shape may be varied as desired.

A multiplicity of playing-pieces P, which may be in block form, are provided that have'their side edges shaped and designed to define shapes corresponding to those of the recesses 33 in the playing boards I l. Of these playingpieces 1?, one is provided for each recess of each board of the set and of the same design of said recess and dimensioned to slidably fit into the recess as shown at M, in Figure 4. There are other playing-pieces Ma of the same design as each of the recesses, respectively, but which are dimensioned, imperceptibly to casual observation, to be larger than the recess of the same shape so as will not fit into a similarly shaped recess l3, there being at least one, but preferably two, of such oversized playing-pieces Ma for each correspondingly shaped recess !3 for each game-board ll employed, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, so as to confuse the player in his selection of a proper,

playing piece, thus adding to the zest of the contest.

Thus, there being two game boards each with fifteen recesses in accordance with the present 3 showing, there will be provided thirty playingpieces 14 of proper shape and size that will be insertable into the thirty recesses of the said two game-boards and at least thirty more similarly shaped but slightly oversized playing-pieces Ma intermingled with the properly sized playing-pieces M. It is preferable, however, to employ sixty oversized playing-pieces 14a, or possibly more, in order to reduce the percentage of chance that any one contestant will select from the pile p-the proper sized playing piece P at any one drawing or selection. Of course, it is understood that if more than two game-boards l I are provided, the number of playing-pieces will be correspondingly increased.

It is preferred that the playing-pieces 1? beef uniform thickness so that their .similaritymay be maintained as close as possible and this'thickness should be greater than the depthpf said recesses in order that the properly dimensioned playing-pieces will project above the surface of the game-board so as to be easily removed from and inserted into said recesses by the player. It is suggested that the thickness of the playingpi ces be twice the depth of the recesses, .although the playing-pieces P may be surmounted by projections (not shown) of various designs that may act as a handle .or finger-grip, or the playing-pieces may have various designs impressed on their upper surfaces. The playingpieces may bevmade of any suitable material such as wood, cardboard, fibre, or plastic, merely to name a few of, such materials, and may be brightly colored, it; being preferred to have the playing-pieces P for each shape or design of a color or shade of color different from the others. Associated with each recess on the playin board may be a printed legend indicating the color and naming the shape of the design, so as to be an educational aid where found necessary or desirable to inform the contestant, although such information may be supplied on a separate sheet, which may be inspected by the contestant, in order to inform him instead of being on the playing board itself.

In playing the game, each player selects one of the identical playing boards II. All of the play.- ing pieces P are grouped in a pine p within reach of the contestants. The playing pieces are grouped or mixed together at random in the pile p in thecenter portion l2 of the box In, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. The players commence the game simultaneously by selecting from the pile a playing piece P which he thinks will fit into any recess iii in his playing board. By chance, he may select a properly dimensioned playing-piece P to fit a recess [3 in his playing board, but he may select an over-sized identically shapfid playing-piece Ma. It will take an intervalfof time for him to determine whether the selected playing piece P will or will not fit a correspondingly shaped recess in his game-board. If it does not fit, he must return it to the pile and select an th r- Thi pr cessp oc ds and th opponent who has beenable to first fill all of the recesses 13 ofhis board, with properly shaped and sized playing-pieces P, announces the fact and wins the game.

The recesses or depressions l3 in the gameboards ll may have bottoms, as shown, or may be bottomless. If these recesses or depressions are bottomless.that is, recesses or depressions extending through the game-board-the surface upon which the game-board rests during the playing of the game will form the bottom of the openings; and in this case it is preferred that the thickness of the game board be less than the thickness of the playing pieces P so that the playing pieces will extend above the top surfaces of the playing boards, when inserted in the depressions or recesses, in order that the playing pieces may be readily grasped.

It will be obvious thatthis is a very simple game requiring very simple game apparatus yet, for children, holds that element of contest as well as educational features'that will stimulate interest and enthusiasm.

Of course it is within the purview of the invention .to supply game boards with any set which have difierent characters of design than those shown and described therein, this being well within the province of the purveyor of the apparatus.

Having thus fully described the invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed, that which I claim as new, is:

.1. In a game apparatus, at least two identical playing, boards each having a plurality of depressions therein .of different designs formed by the defining edges of thedepressions, the depressions in one board being the same as the depressions in the other board and equal innumber, :a multiplicity of intermingled playing .pieces .comprising at least one playing piece for each depression in each board and of the same design as said depressions and so dimensioned as to fit slidably into the corresponding depressions, .and further comprising oth r playing pieces of the same design but ofgreater sizethan said depressions, so that said last pieces do not fit into the depressions.

.A am appara u c mprising a sh llow tray having playing board areaspne for each .contestant at its perimetral portions andhaving an intermediate tray area for retaining playing- 7 pieces, each perimetral playing-boardiarea havme a plurality of bottomed depressions therein. the edges of said depressions defining different desi ns, the designs on each of the playing-board areas having identically designed depressions and the same number thereof, a multiplicity of inter.- mingled playing-pieces grouped within said ,intermediate tray area and from which opponents select playing-pieces to fill-in the depressions of his playing-board area, said group of playingpieces including at least one playing-piece for each depression .of each playing-board area and of the same design and correspondingly dimensioned to be slidably inserted into said depression, and further including oversized playing-pieces of similar design as said other playingpieces and which will notfit into said correspondinsl esi ned d pressions.

WILDER JEROME ALBEE.

, References Cited in the vfile of this patent NrrEp .STA'I'ES PATENTS Number Name Date 328,766 Dewey V 0011.20,:1885 741,903 Gates Oct. 20, 1903 1,565,901 Brandt Dec. 15, 1925 1,989,599 Lipschitz Jan. 29, 1935 2,339,074 Hogan Jan. 11, 1944 ,377,100 Patterson May-29, 1945 OTHER REFERENCES :0. H. Stoeltin 'Co., Apparatus'and Testsfor Psychology, Pages 129', 131, 132; August 1930. 

